The present invention relates generally to an infrared data communication apparatus for executing data transmission by transmitting and receiving infrared data and a method of implementing the same and, more particularly, to an infrared data communication apparatus for executing wireless data transmission by arranging an infrared light emitting device (hereinafter an xe2x80x9cinfrared ray emitting elementxe2x80x9d) and an infrared light detector (hereinafter an xe2x80x9cinfrared ray receiving elementxe2x80x9d) in a liquid crystal display, for example, provided to a miniaturized mobile telephone, a miniaturized mobile data terminal, or any electronic device and a method of implementing the same.
In the prior art, a well known example of an apparatus for executing infrared data transmission of this type is a television receiver and a remote controller for remote control operation of the television receiver. Another well known example of this type of device is one by which print data are transmitted from a general-purpose small computer (personal computer), etc. to a printer (e.g., Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) Hei 10-56427 entitle xe2x80x9cInfrared Data Communication Systemxe2x80x9d). Other well known examples of such prior art devices include those for executing data transmission between general-purpose small computers, and devices for executing data transmission via infrared light between a public telephone and a mobile terminal, for example, (e.g., Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) Hei 9-36805 entitled xe2x80x9cInfrared Ray Communication Systemxe2x80x9d). Since no cable connection is required in these examples, free spatial arrangement of the devices can be achieved.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing how to use a television receiver and a remote controller for remote control operation in the prior art.
In this example, in a television receiver main body 1, a light receiving window 1a is provided onto a front surface (outer packaging body) of an infrared ray receiving element which receives an infrared command from a remote controller 2. The infrared command is transmitted (emitted) to the light receiving window 1a from an infrared ray emitting element of the remote controller 2 via a light projecting window 2a arranged on a front surface of the infrared ray emitting element to remotely control the channel tuning and the volume control.
Since relatively small information content is transmitted and received by the infrared command, a coding pulse train of several tens kHz is transmitted from the remote controller 2 to correspond to the remote operation, and then this coding pulse is decoded on the television receiver main body 1 to fetch the control signal and execute the channel tuning and the volume control.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing data transmission between notebook-sized personal computers in the prior art.
According to the transmission of data between notebook-sized personal computers in the prior art, a light projecting window 3a and a light receiving window 4a of two notebook-sized personal computers 3, 4 are positioned closely (e.g., 10 cm to 100 cm) and are arranged such that they oppose each other. Then, infrared data are transmitted and received via the infrared ray emitting element and the infrared ray receiving element installed in the light projecting window and the light receiving window 3a, 4a. Similarly, infrared data can be transmitted from a digital still camera (DSC) 5 or a mobile data terminal (not shown) whose light projecting window 5a is directed to oppose to the light projecting window 3a and the light receiving window 4a of two notebook-sized personal computers 3, 4.
Such infrared data transmission/reception between the personal computers can contain a large amount of data, the standard (IrDA/Ver 1.1, or the like) issued by the IrDA (Infrared Data Association) is applied the infrared data transmission/reception in most cases. For example, data transmission at the transmission rate of 4 Mbit/s is utilized.
In the prior art described as above, the light projecting window and the light receiving window must be provided on the front surfaces of the infrared ray emitting element and the infrared ray receiving element respectively. In this case, with the miniaturization of the device, arrangement locations of the light projecting window and the light receiving window cannot be easily obtained on the outer packaging body. For example, there is the problem that, if the infrared data transmission is carried out by the miniaturized mobile telephone (PDC/Personal Digital Cellular Telecommunication System, PHS/Personal Handyphone System), etc., arrangement locations for the light projecting window and the light receiving window cannot be easily provided on the outer packaging body. Also, there is the drawback that miniaturization of the device is spoiled if the dedicated light projecting window and the dedicated light receiving window are provided on the outer packaging body.
The present invention has been made to overcome such subjects in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an infrared data communication apparatus capable of executing infrared data transmission and reception by arranging an infrared ray emitting element and an infrared ray receiving element in a liquid crystal display, etc. of a miniaturized electronic device such as a mobile device, etc., without provision of dedicated light projecting window/ light receiving window and infrared ray emitting element/infrared ray receiving element on an outer packaging body to emit/receive the infrared data, and also accelerating miniaturization of the device by simplifying an outer appearance configuration, and a method of implementing the same.
In order to achieve the above object, according to an infrared data communication apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an infrared data communication apparatus for communicating transmission infrared data, said infrared data communication apparatus comprising an infrared ray receiving element which is arranged on an inside of a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display provided to the electronic device, the infrared ray receiving element receiving the infrared data from an external device via the liquid crystal panel, then converting the infrared data into electrical data, and then sending out said electric data to a communication control portion.
Also, the infrared data communication apparatus comprises further an infrared ray emitting element which is arranged on the inside of the liquid crystal panel, the infrared ray emitting element emitting transmission data, supplied from the communication control portion, as infrared data via the liquid crystal panel to transmit the transmission data to the external device.
Also, according to the infrared data communication apparatus of the present invention, there is provided the infrared data communication apparatus for communicating transmission infrared data, comprising an infrared ray emitting element which is arranged on an inside of a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display provided to the electronic device or on an inside of an emitted light transmitting portion for producing a visual display, the infrared ray emitting element emitting transmission data, supplied from the infrared communication portion, as infrared data via the liquid crystal panel or the emitted light transmitting portion to transmit the transmission data to the external device.
Also, according to the infrared data communication apparatus, there is provided the infrared data communication apparatus for communicating transmission infrared data, comprising an infrared ray receiving element arranged on an inside of a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display provided to the electronic device for receiving the infrared data supplied from an external device via the liquid crystal panel, then converting the infrared data into electrical data, and then sending out the electric data to a communication control portion; a photogenesis transparency component (hereinafter an xe2x80x9cemitted light transmitting memberxe2x80x9d) whose one end side is positioned on a surface of an outer body, for transmitting a light generated by a light emitting diode for providing a lighting display; and an infrared ray emitting element arranged on an inside of the emitted light transmitting member, wherein said infrared ray emitting element emits transmission data from the infrared communicating portion as infrared data via the emitted light transmitting member to an external device.
Also, according to the infrared data communication apparatus, there is provided the infrared data communication apparatus which further comprises a current supplying means for supplying a driving current to the infrared ray emitting element such that the infrared ray receiving element can receive the infrared data radiated by the infrared ray emitting element through a predetermined region, which is set as a light receiving region, of the liquid crystal panel in a receiver side electronic device.
Also, according to the infrared data communication apparatus, there is provided the infrared data communication apparatus further comprising a display controlling means for screen-displaying a receiving frame indicating a range, through which the infrared ray receiving element can receive the infrared data, on the liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display in transmitting the infrared data.
According to an infrared data communication method of the present invention, there is provided an infrared data communication method of communicating transmission data as infrared data between electronic devices each having a liquid crystal display, comprising the steps of arranging an infrared ray receiving element on an inside of a liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display; receiving infrared data supplied from an external device by the infrared ray receiving element via the liquid crystal panel; and converting the infrared data electrically to form transmission data.
Also, according to the infrared data communication method, there is provided the infrared data communication method further comprising the step of arranging an infrared ray emitting element on the inside of the liquid crystal panel; and transmitting transmission data as the infrared data from the infrared ray emitting element to an external device via the liquid crystal panel.
Also, according to the infrared data communication method, there is provided the infrared data communication method of communicating transmission data as infrared data between electronic devices, comprising the steps of arranging an infrared ray emitting element on an inside of a liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display provided to the electronic device or an inside of an emitted light transmitting portion for providing a lighting display; and transmitting transmission data from the infrared ray emitting element to an external device as the infrared data via the liquid crystal panel or the emitted light transmitting portion.
Also, according to the infrared data communication method, there is provided the infrared data communication method of communicating transmission data as infrared data between electronic devices each having a liquid crystal display and a light emitting diode, comprising the steps of arranging an infrared ray receiving element on an inside of a liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display; receiving the infrared data supplied from an external device by the infrared ray receiving element via the liquid crystal panel, and converting the infrared data electrically to from transmission data; arranging an infrared ray emitting element on an inside of an emitted light transmitting member which transmits an emitted light from a light emitting diode to a lighting display; and emitting transmission data from the infrared ray emitting element as the infrared data, and transmitting the transmission data to the external device via the emitted light transmitting member.
In the infrared data communication apparatus and method of the present invention, since the infrared ray receiving element is arranged on the inside of the liquid crystal panel in the liquid crystal display and then the infrared data can be received via the liquid crystal panel, the infrared data can be transmitted and received without provision of the dedicated light receiving window and the infrared ray receiving element per se, which are employed to receive the infrared data, on the outer packaging body of the small-sized electronic device such as the mobile device, e.g., the mobile telephone, the mobile data terminal, etc. Therefore, the outer appearance configuration of the electronic device having an infrared data communication function can be simplified, and obstacle factors in reducing the size can be reduced, and also the miniaturization of the electronic device can be further facilitated.
In the infrared data communication apparatus and method of the present invention, since the infrared ray emitting element is arranged on the inside of the liquid crystal panel in the liquid crystal display or on the inside of the emitted light transmitting portion for providing the lighting display and then the infrared data are transmitted from the infrared ray emitting element via the liquid crystal panel or the emitted light transmitting portion, the infrared data can be transmitted and received without provision of the dedicated light projecting window and the infrared ray emitting element per se on the outer packaging body of the small-sized electronic device such as the mobile device, the mobile data terminal, etc., and thus the outer appearance configuration can be simplified and also the miniaturization of the device can be facilitated.
Moreover, in the infrared data communication apparatus and method of the present invention, since the infrared data are transmitted and received mutually by arranging the infrared ray receiving element on the inside of the liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display and arranging both the light emitting diode, which informs of the call incoming by flashing, for example, and the infrared ray emitting element, which radiates the infrared data, on the inside of the emitted light transmitting portion, the infrared data can be transmitted and received without provision of the dedicated light projection/receiving windows and the infrared ray emitting/receiving elements themselves on the outer packaging body of the miniaturized electronic device, and thus the outer appearance configuration can be simplified and also the miniaturization of the device can be further more facilitated. In this case, since the infrared ray receiving element and the infrared ray emitting element can be relatively separated in arrangement, interference of the infrared data can be reduced in multi-way (two-way) communication such as simultaneous transmission/reception, and thus transmission errors can be reduced.
Furthermore, in the infrared data communication apparatus and method of the present invention, since the driving current is supplied to the infrared ray emitting element such that the infrared ray receiving element can receive the infrared data being radiated by the infrared ray emitting element through the overall region of the liquid crystal panel, positioning of the device can be simplified in transmitting the infrared data and also a positioning operation to receive the infrared data precisely can be made easy. In addition, since the receiving frame is screen-displayed on the liquid crystal panel of the liquid crystal display to indicate the range through which the infrared ray receiving element can receive the infrared data, the user can check easily arrangement of the device at the time of infrared data communication.